The Ward
by Evawn
Summary: Draco and Hermione are partners who are responsible for the placement of Muggle-born children who are Hogwarts age.  Complications and mixed feelings arise when they retrieve an orphan who is very out of the ordinary.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"So happy that you've arrived! We don't have a clue what to do," exclaimed the old woman who wore a bright green shawl across her broad shoulders. She was the assistant caretaker at the Hexverg Orphanage.

She had called in the little problem approximately a week prior and they had immediately scheduled an appointment with her.

The little problem was causing quite the bit of trouble. During bouts of extreme sadness and elation, immobile objects had been known to fly about. Lately though, the problems had gotten to be worst.

So, here they were to solve the problem.

"What is the problem, exactly?" questioned the young woman with big curly hair that seemed to move about with each word that she enunciated.

"Is it possible for you two to appear married?" the woman whispered loudly, the question just asked by the curly haired woman, lost to her.

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed the gentleman who was with the curly haired woman. But perhaps he wasn't very gentle at all, as his tone seemed to indicate.

"You must understand; the caretaker is not aware that I know what the child is. She doesn't believe in such 'nonsense'. She will not allow the child to leave the grounds of the orphanage lest she sees that she is adopted properly," she hurriedly explained.

The young woman, Hermione Granger, stood up straight with a poise of defiance that was most likely a common trait of hers.

"Fine, then we shall," she spoke on so as not to allow the young man a word in edgewise, "We will fill out the paperwork as if we are a couple. When we get back to the office, we will change things so that the department may be legal caretaker of the ward."

The old woman smiled in agreement and led the two inside the building. "The first order of business is to have you walk through to see all of the children. It's standard procedure when it comes down to picking and choosing."

"How cruel," muttered Hermione, as she shook her head and silently wished that she could singlehandedly change the way the system worked.

"I agree but alas, if a couple desires a child and they have the opportunity to choose who they will one day care for, they will," shook the grey head of the older woman.

The couple were led down a darkened hallway until they reached a rather plain door.

"Please appear married. Beyond this door is Ms. Beck and the children. She is aware that you two are here. They're in the lunch room sitting quietly. Ms. Beck doesn't like noise. Eliza is the girl you need. You'll know who she is," spoke the older woman. Even she could recognize the magic flow pulsing through the veins of Eliza. After all she was a squib, and although she had no magic of her own, she could feel that of others.

The old woman left the two at the plain door and they just stood there silently.

"Well, _Wife_, do you think we should go in?" came the snide remark of Hermione Granger's partner, Draco Malfoy.

Hermione jumped a bit and scowled at her partner. She had been deep in thought, curious about the muggleborn girl that they would soon adopt. What if they had another Tom Riddle on their hands?

Hermione reached out to twist the simple, silver knob on the plain door.

It was a bit dark in the dining area with the only light source being a few overhead lights that cast off an uncomfortable red glow. As the two walked in, eight heads turned their way.

Instantly Hermione felt the buzz of magic in the air. She looked at the group to determine the source. But none of the seven children were magical and of course, neither was the beaky looking caretaker, Ms. Beck.

"Children, excuse me," spoke Ms. Beck in a serious tone. She was seated in the center of the seven children with a large book upon her lap. Upon closer inspection, the curly-haired witch realized that it was a collective text regarding the lives of English poets. That was a bit drab, even for Hermione.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs...?"

"Malfoy," Draco spoke up. He tentatively placed his left hand atop Hermione's shoulder. Hermione nearly jumped at his touch. She was also a bit startled by the feeling of something being magically band around her left ring finger.

She looked down to see a simple, silver, knotted wedding band with a small green stone in the center. She glanced up at Draco and he resisted the urge to snicker. He was very skilled with using non-verbal spells; more so than she had realized.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, You are looking to adopt?"

"Yes," Hermione said with a smile.

Ms. Beck did not smile back. To her, this was a business, not cordial tea-sipping. Instead, she inquired, "Boy or girl?"

"A girl," Hermione responded. While Hermione respected stern women like Mcgonnagal, she did not much enjoy those without a sense of laughter about them.

"How old? You're a relatively young couple. Do you care for a younger child? Aelsa here is five and very bright for her age, particularly in the subject of mathematics."

At this, the child named Aelsa stood up and curtsied. Hermione's heart ached for they could not adopt all of the orphans in the world.

"Perhaps you have someone a bit older? Maybe around age eleven?" Draco questioned. The Eliza girl was most likely school-aged if the old squib had only just realized her powers.

Ms. Beck's eyes quickly moved over to the only window in the room and then back to the couple. It was as if she didn't want them to notice where her gaze had landed.

And the couple realized why. Sitting on the floor, with her back to everyone, was the small frame of a girl. Her black hair was pulled back into a long braid that reached the floor. Instantly they knew that she was Eliza, the source of the magic that they had felt.

"Are you sure? Eliza comes with many problems. She thieves, continuously fibs, and frightens the other children. So I understand if you change your mind," Ms. Beck said loudly.

Hermione was offended that the woman was trying to embarrass the little girl in front of them. She was positive based upon the girl's meek appearance that she'd endured plenty of harassment from the other children and their caretaker.

Draco squeezed her shoulder. He could sense that Hermione was about to voice her opinion. He was all too used to it. Several times they had to alter memories of people when they were on assignments because of her temper.

Draco watched as his partner walked over to the girl and kneeled beside her instead of speaking. She began to whisper to the child.

"I believe that my wife has chosen a child," he spoke, "What paperwork must we fill out?"

"We must first perform a background ch—," Ms. Beck was silenced by the sound of the perforated edges of another type of check being separated from a checkbook. Draco had long since familiarized himself with muggle money.

He nonchalantly handed the check to the beaky looking woman. Ms. Beck's face took on a pinched look as she saw the numbers written on the small piece of paper.

"Very well," came the clipped tones of the caretaker.

xx

She was theirs. Legally, according to the current adoption laws that were in place, Eliza was their daughter. The partners had signed all of the necessary documents after Draco's 'considerate' donation and theirs she was, Eliza 'Malfoy'.

Generally, after doing so, they usually transferred 'ownership' of the wards to the Department of Adoption within the Ministry of Magic. This should have been the standard case but when Draco saw the way his partner had grasped onto Eliza's hand to bring her to the old caretaker and himself, he could see that things would be different.

And being a man of order, control, and meticulous planning, he did not like this one bit.

Eliza was very strange looking, even for a witch. She had narrow bottle-green eyes, a fairly long face and a light sprinkle of freckles across her nose that contrasted greatly with the paleness of her complexion. But, while strange looking, she was also very pretty.

Hermione grinned at Draco and they started to the door, intent on leaving before the voice of Ms. Beck could be heard.

"Eliza, you should get your things."

Draco and Hermione watched as the girl's narrow green eyes cut harshly over to her old caretaker.

"I own nothing here," she spoke. It was the first time that she had spoken in Draco's presence and he was impressed by the steel tone she held even with such a bright voice and so little words.

With that, Eliza pulled Hermione's hand toward the door leaving Draco to follow.

"Are you positive that you don't have any belongings here?" Hermione questioned once they were outside and near the sleek automobile owned by Draco.

Eliza nodded before casting her eyes downward.

Hermione gestured towards the car and watched as Eliza made her way in before climbing in herself.

"Why me?" came the child's voice after approximately ten minutes in the moving vehicle.

"Well, sweetheart, we knew you were there..." Hermione began, lamely.

Draco resisted snorting which did not go unnoticed by the frizzy haired woman who sat in the passenger seat beside him.

In response to her frown, he gave a slight shrug.

"Well it seems like you two are taking me to some sort of asylum. They all tell me that I'm bonkers," said Eliza.

Inwardly Draco smirked. She did not seem 'bonkers' but then again neither had Voldemort.

"Why did they speak to you like so?" questioned Hermione. She had turned in her seat to gaze at the girl.

"Whenever I'd be taunted, I'd tell the others about themselves," Eliza spoke slowly.

Draco was only half-way listening so he didn't immediately grasp the tone of defiance in the girl's words.

"Honey, that hardly constitutes being bonkers."

"I tell them _things_ about themselves that they have not told anyone."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Draco's eyebrows shot up and he quickly glanced over at Hermione before looking back at the road. She was confused but he knew that it was only a matter of seconds before realization would hit her.

The girl was not only a witch but also a seer, if what she said was true.

Hermione's brows were deeply furrowed in contemplation. The thought of Eliza being a psychic had just crossed her mind among many other things. If Eliza was indeed a psychic then there were going to be more complications. She didn't even know that she was a witch yet.

Ms. Beck had given the two a thin file on the girl and the partners hadn't yet paged through it.

On Draco's part, he hadn't wanted to appear too eager to delve into the girl's past.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" questioned the older witch.

"That gruel should never be considered dinner. No, I didn't eat," Eliza muttered.

"Excellent. Draco, take us to Potter's Watch."

Draco rolled his eyes in faux annoyance.

"As long as you're paying."

Hermione looked over at him and grinned, "Oh, the meal should be on the house."

About ten minutes later Draco had the car parked on the side of an old cobbled street.

The three climbed out of the car. Draco set a time for the car to later be magically transported back to his estate by muttering a simple spell under his breath. Eliza was looking every which-way, taking in the sites all around her as if she'd never been off of the orphanage's grounds. She probably hadn't.

They were still in Muggle London and if these simple sites were amazing to her, then the wizarding world was going to overwhelm her.

Draco had the file on Eliza tucked securely beneath his arm for he fully intended to read it. He had hopes of there being a sort of trail left by her biological parents to follow.

The trio walked, Hermione in the lead, to a corner shop that had very bright lights emanating from it.

In they walked. It was a quaint little shop full of odds and ends, most likely a consignment shop. Hermione smiled widely at the lady behind the counter.

This consignment shop was sometimes used by witches and wizards to get into Diagon Alley. It was owned by a lonely witch who enjoyed the constant company of passersby.

"Hello, Lady," Hermione smiled. The witch named Lady smiled in return and gestured toward a doorway behind a thick curtain of beads.

"I assume that you two are on the job so go right on through!" Lady said excitedly.

"Thanks!" was Hermione's response while Draco just nodded. The three walked through and to Eliza's surprise they emerged into a completely different location.

It was a restaurant that appeared to be very homely. The tables were set nicely with simple decoration yet nothing was overly stiff like the restaurants that Eliza had seen in magazines.

Odd looking people were dining around them and most were speaking amicably to their waiters and their company.

They had arrived at Potter's Watch.

The partners looked over at Eliza to gauge her reaction. She was stunned; her eyes were open to their widest point.

"Eliza, let's sit. We'll explain to you, just what's going on," Hermione offered kindly. She placed her hand in the small of the girl's back and led her to a table in the corner that offered a bit of seclusion leaving Hermione's partner to follow.

"Hermione!" they all heard once they were seated.

Draco brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Hey there, Teddy."

It had been about eight years since The Second Wizarding War and Teddy Lupin had grown to be a healthy, lanky boy under the supervision of Harry Potter and his family. His hair was currently the color of turquoise, his personal favorite, as it were.

"Do you want the normal? Is she a new one?" the little boy questioned as he innocently pointed his finger at Eliza.

Hermione and Draco nodded curtly and Teddy smiled widely at his cousin before turning to Eliza. He gazed at her curiously.

"Teddy, do us a favor and get Eliza here, a glass of pumpkin juice and whatever special Ginny has set," Hermione added quickly before the boy could prance away as he often seemed to do.

"You're going to love being a witch!" the turquoise-haired boy stated all too excitedly to Eliza before he ran off towards the kitchens, in a prance.

Hermione's eyes widened. Usually they-they being she- liked to inform Muggleborns in a calm manner while her ever so helpful partner grimaced at mere specks of dirt beneath his fingernails.

The two turned to Eliza hoping that she wasn't in the process of freaking out. She wasn't.

Instead she looked as if she was in deep thought.

"Well," Eliza spoke up after few seconds, "That explains everything."

"It doesn't explain your precognitive abilities," Draco said, no longer able to keep passive about the entire situation.

He started to flip open the file but he was hindered by Hermione's hand. He glanced up at her, slightly aggravated.

"Well Eliza, what Draco means to say is, yes, you are a witch and you seem to be a seer of sorts. Often, seers are able to trace their bloodlines. Usually they're wizards or they're Muggleborns who have distant ancestors who were wizards."

"So...I'm a Muggleborn? Can you explain to me what that means?" Eliza inquired, her curiosity peeked.

" A Muggleborn is someone who is born to a non-wizarding family and possesses magical abilities. I am Muggleborn, myself."

Hermione spoke so proudly that Draco had to snort. His snort was cut short by a pinch from Hermione on his hand. He was surprised to realize that her hand didn't need to travel far in order to pinch him, for it had remained on top of his from the woman's successful endeavor to halt his study of the file.

He only noticed this when there became an absence of warmth set by the removal of her hand. Draco couldn't help but to feel a bit disappointed by the lack of comfort associated with such an action.

"Oh, so my parents did not have magic?"

"That's just it. We do not know. According to your old caretaker, your parents died when you were four?"

Eliza gave a curt nod, "In a fire is what I've been told. I was rescued from it apparently."

With his hands free to open the file, Draco did.

"It says here that your parents didn't carry around any type of recognition so it is unknown what their names are," Draco summarized.

"I remember faintly, my father calling my mother Desi," the orphan girl offered.

"That could be anything," said Draco as his steely grey eyes darted around the documents that he held.

"What he means to say is, that name could be a pet name or even something that your mind conjured…as memories tend to do such things," Hermione kindly explained.

"Granger, the fire could not be explained by Muggle authorities...no gasoline, no electrical faults, no other evidence of arson."

Hermione furrowed her brows in her typical way.

"Possibly magical?"

Her partner nodded before saying, "I will check the archives at the Ministry to see if there were any fires around the time that she was discovered."

"Food!" the boisterous voice of Teddy could be heard as he approached the table with a familiar redhead. She had her wand directed at a tray that was floating in front of her.

Afraid that this would in some way alarm the young ward, Hermione glanced over at the girl and was shocked to see that her face portrayed a sense of awe.

"You two on an assignment?" Ginny Potter questioned as she directed the plates of food to rest in front of their respective places.

"It's as obvious as your hair is red," Draco mumbled as he unrolled his napkin and draped it across his lap in his common nonchalant manner.

"As obvious as yours is blond," Ginny Potter mocked. It was usual for the two to carry on and casually bicker.

"Yes, Gin," Hermione smiled, "This is Eliza Malfoy."

Draco looked up having forgotten that the two had adopted the child and that she would evidently possess his surname.

"Nice to meet you, Eliza," spoke Ginny to the young lady who had her eyes downcast in thought, "So I assume that you had to adopt her from an orphanage?"

Hermione told Ginny pretty much everything that wasn't confidential so she knew that when they adopted a child with no last name from an orphanage, the surname of 'Granger' or 'Malfoy', or a hyphenated combination of the two, would be used. That is, until the Department had a family that wanted to adopt the child.

Hermione nodded in response.

"Well then, I suppose I'll let you all tuck in," Ginny stated as she turned around to walk away.

"Thanks Gin."

Suddenly, Eliza looked up, her eyes wide due to shock. Her pupils were dilated.

Many thoughts happened at once between Hermione and Draco upon noticing the girl's sudden movements. These thoughts ranged from choking on food to lesser concerns such as her needing to know where the toilet was.

Until they both thought of the reason why they found the girl so fascinating.

"Do you think we should slap her on the back?" Draco wondered aloud.

"Of course not!" Hermione exclaimed in a hushed whisper. Truthfully, she had no idea of what they were supposed to do.

She looked around hurriedly to make sure no one was watching. Luckily Eliza was seated with her back turned away from everyone else in Potter Watch.

She really needed a book explaining the 'how-tos' when it came to do with psychics.

Then, the green of Eliza's eyes could be seen again. She blinked rapidly before pushing her plate away, her movements slow.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Hermione offered, confused on how to react.

"I am. It just exhausts me...seeing things," Eliza muttered.

"Well, that was a tad anticlimactic," spoke Hermione's partner as he dabbed his lips with his napkin.

Hermione nearly smacked him on _his_ back.

"Yeah, I saw a guy with glasses on...and an oddly shaped mark on his forehead..." Eliza started, her brows furrowed as she tried to recall the details of her vision, "he was sitting around a dinner table with that woman, Ginny, and they were laughing as they never had before. I could feel that it was the happiest moment of her life."

"Oh what a delight. She's empathetic toward Ginevra's-" Draco began. Unfortunately he wasn't able to finish for Hermione had interrupted him.

"An empath!" Hermione exclaimed in a hushed whisper as the gears in her mind spun rapidly, "You were able to pick up on Ginny's feelings which enabled you to have a peek into what caused those feelings."

"Is that what it is?" Eliza questioned.

"Well at least a part of it," Hermione grinned, "But let's discuss this later. Eat up."

-  
>"Granger, what are we going to do with her?" Draco asked tentatively after Teddy made his way over, again, and pulled Eliza away with him to play with some new gadget that George Weasley had given him.<p>

"What do you mean? You surely can't expect us to throw her in with the other wards of the ministry, certainly not after finding out about her gifts! Someone would find out and exploit the hell out of her!" Hermione exclaimed harshly. Had she been standing, her hands would have been on her hips

"Untwist those knickers of yours Granger. I was going to suggest no such thing. I was merely trying to determine what we should say to the department head when we have to file the paperwork for the Ministry to adopt her as a ward," Draco said tiredly as he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in aggravation.

That woman was always jumping to conclusions.

"Oh. Well I suppose we could just say that we want to keep her. I mean, it was bound to happen. Charla has adopted three orphaned Muggleborns," Hermione said offhandedly as she mentioned one of the other department employees.

"You're not understanding. We are not married. We are not getting married. She is not living with me. You can barely keep your cat alive. We have no parental experience."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but it took her a moment to.

"What if we lived together?"

Xx

And there we have chapter two. Thanks for all of the alerts and for the few reviews that I did get. Please leave reviews. They help motivate me to write!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You're bonkers."

That was not the response that Hermione was after.

"What do you mean? I think that it's one of my best ideas yet," the frizzy haired woman countered while managing to keep her voice free of any of the contempt that she felt at the moment.

"Granger, I can't just make a decision like that at the drop of a pin," Draco spoke choosing his words carefully. He did not want an incident with this witch in Potter territory.

"Oh right! You DO like to dwell on things. I'll draft out an itinerary and we can discuss it tomorrow in the office. I'll take her home with me tonight," Hermione concluded with an air of flightiness to her voice.

"Granger, say that we do...care...for her. What do I get out of this?"

"Besides the obvious reward of parental satisfaction?" Hermione inquired cheerily, knowing that he would not like that response.

Draco stared at the woman blankly. She must be joking. He did not even want to justify that with a response and it seemed as if Hermione knew that as well for she started to speak.

"Imagine living with two muggleborns..."

"That's something that I'd like to avoid," Draco cut in.

"You didn't allow me to continue", Hermione sighed, "Imagine how living with two muggleborns would work in favor towards your reputation in the magical community?"

She had a point. Lately the writers at the Prophet had been carrying on about him and how he was forced to work alongside his former childhood enemy's best friend for years in accordance with the rehabilitation process for crimes of war.

Firstly, the Prophet was severely misinformed; as it often was. He was supposed to only aid Granger for thirty-six months.

Secondly, he only stayed on because the Ministry offered him pay for his position after his probationary period was over. Not because he liked children or anything. And most certainly not because he enjoyed working with Granger.

"I'll be waiting for that itinerary. Bring her into the office with you. If I agree with your outline the department may want to have a talk with her before we can go through with everything. Do you need me to walk the two of you to your flat?"

Of course Draco only asked out of obligation rather than anything else.

"No. I live less than a block away. We are capable of walking."

* * *

><p>"This is where I live," Hermione grinned while waving her hand about.<p>

Her flat was located directly above Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. She had moved in following George's desire to move out soon after the loss of his twin. Upon taking the three bedroom flat, she had spent weeks trying to root out all of the failed experiments for the joke shop. Every now and again she'd still find one.

"I have nothing to compare it to," Eliza mumbled. All that she could refer to were the pictures in the homemaker magazines that she'd managed to get a hold of thanks to the old woman at the orphanage.

"You'll have your own room of course and toilet."

Hermione spoke with excitement before a thought occurred to her, "Eliza, with your ability and all, how is it that you didn't know that you'd be leaving the orphanage?"

Eliza plopped down on a rustic orange sofa adorned with brown and tan pillows. The sofa was positioned perfectly between two misshapen windows with matching end tables on either side. The curtains had angled stripes of earthy tones. It was all rather artsy.

"I knew I'd be leaving. I just didn't know when. I didn't see you or Mr. Malfoy. I just saw a bedroom with mahogany furniture and the color red. The vision came to me in the form of a dream so..." Eliza trailed off.

"It could be just that; a dream," Hermione finished.

Eliza nodded in agreement.

"Your room has no Mahogany in it, I can tell you that. It's all cedar thanks to George Weasley," Hermione spoke and to Eliza's questioning look, "One of my brothers, so to speak. You'll meet them for Sunday dinner."

Eliza nodded, "Is he related to Miss Ginevra? I see red hair."

Hermione smiled and nodded, "Go ahead and have a quick look around. I'll go grab some fresh sheets and then its bed time. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."

As soon as she was out of Eliza's sight, Hermione was able to release her fit of nerves by wringing her hands together tightly. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

* * *

><p>Draco Malfoy was frowning deeply out of aggravation.<p>

He was sitting in the grand office of his_ favorite_ CEO who at the moment had his head reared back in laughter.

"Blaise, be serious."

"It is highly difficult to be even more serious than this after learning that you are a...father!" Blaise Zabini exclaimed.

"That's hardly any reason for you to lose your wits," the blond-haired man spoke cooly, "We've adopted children before."

"My wits? You're questioning my wits, mate? You're the one who's considering on living with Hermione Granger," Blaise chuckled.

Draco had come to Blaise's office first thing the next morning to confide in him regarding his current predicament.

They were often each other's confidants. They probably knew more about the other than they knew about themselves.

Draco had explained everything to Blaise, including Eliza's gift of sight. Although extremely wild and seemingly drunk all of the time, Blaise was trustworthy of any and all secrets.

"I'm not quite sure that living with the woman would be any different than how I'm doing things now. I'm with her damn near _all_ of the time anyway, thanks to work," was the only rebuttal that Draco could think to throw out.

"I suppose. Though, it may very well aid your image if you were an adoptive parent to a child both you and Granger sponsor. Of course you'd have to be wary to remain cordial in public...granted, you've both been pretty good about that since your truce, years ago," Blaise pondered aloud.

"Right. The only issue is that Granger isn't going to want to live in the Manor and I can't say that I blame her."

Blaise looked at his best friend, all traces of laughter wiped free from his face. Of course Draco was referring to the War in which Granger was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. The scars still marred the arm of the man's partner which caused the woman to often wear longer shirts on a particularly harrowing day.

"Then move in with her. She has a comfortably sized house...for a house elf," Blaise spoke, his devious grin back.

"Oh, shut it."

"Honestly, old friend, I believe that living with Granger is going to test you," Blaise concluded.

"Well, I would have to say that that's the most obvious statement you've made in a while."

Blaise drummed his fingers on his desk for a few seconds before responding, "In more than one way, Draco. For example, imagine walking in on Granger in the shower. Can you just imagine the beauty of that?"

Blaise's statement earned a series of surprised coughs from the Malfoy heir.

"I'm serious! That woman's curves...I mean, I know you've looked!" Blaise accused, his eyes sparkling.

Draco didn't bother speaking in response for he was a quiet man. Oh, bloody hell, he was quiet because Blaise was right and he hadn't exactly realized the truth in those words until Zabini uttered them.

Zabini continued his spiel leaving Draco's mind to wander.

Granger had a perfect body beneath all of that hair. Her body formed the nice shape of an hour glass with wide hips that framed a perfectly plump arse.

She always came to work wearing either a pencil skirt or nicely tailored pants instead of the common robes, often worn by witches and wizards. This did nothing but accentuate the roundness of her bottom.

And Draco couldn't say that he did not enjoy that sight.

The blond man shook his head in an attempt to get the witch out of his head.

"-throw her over my desk!" was the only part of Blaise's idiocy that Draco managed to catch as he cleared his head.

That particular statement did nothing but slightly incite the blond man and he didn't know why.

"Okay, Blaise stop fantasizing about my partner."

Draco Malfoy stood, set on taking his leave. He needed to do some research before heading to the department to meet Granger and the girl.

"Fine, but only because you two are probably going to be sharing a bed in the near future."

Blaise smirked deviously.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Meh. Only a bit of paperwork to finalize for a contracted deal with Potter's weasel. He can wait."

Draco rolled his eyes. It could only be considered a miracle that the business was managing to stay afloat with such a slacker of a CEO.

"Weasley?"

"Yes. He drafted out some plans for a new broom and I'm backing him financially because the plans appear to be extremely legit. We should both be rewarded with plenty of galleons once I pitch the new broom to a few stores."

"I hope things go well," Draco called over his shoulder as he left Blaise's office.

* * *

><p><strong>I am incredibly sorry for the long wait! I've been soooo busy. Also, it shames me to say, I've had this chapter typed up on my phone for some time now. I just felt that it was such a hassle (though it wasn't) to upload it and edit it and all of that jazz. <strong>

**BUT, I did it. I hope you enjoyed Blaise's appearance. I love his 'counseling' tactics. **

**Anyhow, please leave a review to let me know how you feel regarding this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Davide, we want to keep her," Hermione smiled at the head of her department.

Davide was a Frenchman a few years her senior and was understandable every time she and her partner had issues.

Davide adjusted his glasses that were often askew, at the witch's words.

"We?"

"Yes. Draco and I. We had to adopt her to get her out of the orphanage so that paperwork's been completed. Draco has it," Hermione explained.

"Draco?" Davide questioned with obvious curiosity. Very rarely did Hermione Granger call the Malfoy heir by anything other than his surname, save for the occasional 'ferret' on particularly difficult days.

"We've decided to be cordial to one another for the sake of the child," the wild-haired woman explained still smiling. She was actually becoming kind of excited regarding this entire situation.

"This child, Eliza...now she's all right with this?"

"Yes. We feel that since she's an older child, it would be even more difficult to adopt her out. Plus she's still got so much to learn and sorting her in a year at Hogwarts would make things even more problematic," explained the woman.

Hermione Granger was right. And when she was right, there was no arguing with her.

As with any child servicing program placing older children in homes was difficult. Luckily, they usually got to a ward when he or she was just Hogwarts age so the department handed the reins of child-rearing to the presiding headmaster until the student was of legal age.

Davide looked over the paperwork before looking up with a bemused smile on his face.

"Yes?" Hermione questioned curtly, knowing that her boss would have a smart remark at the ready in regards to the joint adoption of Eliza.

"She's legally been adopted by Hermione and Draco Malfoy. Legally you are not a Malfoy. Hermione Malfoy doesn't exist. She's Draco's child. What are we going to do about this?"

Hermione frowned. In all her careful planning, this one thought hadn't crossed her mind. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned back into her chair.

"Davide, what do I do?"

Davide stood up and and closed the door to his office while simultaneously lowering the blinds.

Hermione lifted a brow -despite being flustered- at the ease it took her boss to do both things nonchalantly as if he'd done it a great many times.

"Now, I'm sure that you have your reasons for wanting to adopt this child. I trust both you and your partner. If I sign these documents, you must promise me that the child's best interest is priority over anything else."

Hermione nodded vehemently, "We are adopting her solely for her benefit."

"Good. You need to live together, you and Mr. Malfoy. I'm sure you already know this. You need to go to the name change facility and change your name also-don't look at me like that- because imagine if someone got wind of the reason-that I'm not even aware of- why you're adopting this young lady and they discover that you're not legally a guardian. They could try to prove that Mr. Malfoy is an unfit parent some way or another and you'd have no legal ground to keep her in _your_ care."

Damn it all; he was right. There was no need to even show Malfoy her carefully thought out schedule and guidelines of her now insignificant itinerary.

* * *

><p>Draco sat in his office idly waiting for Granger and her so-called itinerary.<p>

He leaned back in his chair with his arms behind his head and he wondered just how much of Granger he could tolerate when it came to this child they knew so very little about.

He considered a vacation. The mystery surrounding Eliza's past gave him something to strive for being that his job had seemed extremely lackluster as of late. And he needed time to figure out this mystery.

Who were her parents and did the name 'Desi' offer any clues? He needed to look through the family tree tomes in the ministry's library of magic to see if anything could even be remotely similar to it.

Where the hell was Granger at anyway?

As fate would have it, that's exactly who came barging through his office door not two seconds later.

Oh.

Draco raised his eyebrows at the witch's sudden entrance.

"I just got back from Davide's office," she spoke in a huff.

Draco adjusted his posture.

"And what did he say?"

"Well, you're Eliza's 'father' but she is legally not mine because Hermione...Malfoy doesn't exist."

"How is this an issue?"

"Merlin, you are THICK," Hermione quickly recounted all that Davide had spoken to her about.

The two sat in silence. Truth be told, Hermione was a bit peeved that the wizard's features did not change from his normal seemingly bored demeanor.

"I'm sure that this threw a wrench in whatever 'itinerary' that you were going to propose."

At Draco's smirk, Hermione wanted to wring his neck. He was right.

"Granger, you should just go ahead and get a name change. No use fretting about it."

"The problem with that is that I need a reason for changing my name."

The woman thrust a folder at an unfazed Draco, who was used to her erratic behavior.

He sighed before opening the folder. As he expected, the witch had already completed the forms in that distinctively neat handwriting of hers aside from the section in question.

_THE MINISTRY DOES NOT OFTEN REJECT NAME CHANGES LEST THEY BE WITHOUT PROPER REASONING. SELECT ALL THAT MAY APPLY: _

_MARRIAGE_

_DIVORCE_

_PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE _

_PSYCHOLOGICAL WELFARE (which may include but is not limited to: gender, same-sex relations, child-hood ridicule, parental reassignment)_

"If you ask me it all boils down to psychological welfare," Draco muttered under his breath.

"There's nothing there that would even make sense for me to select," Hermione spoke. She nearly scoffed at the blond man's raised brow.

"Just choose "Personal Acceptance". There. Problem solved."

Hermione inhaled deeply at his words.

"Hermione Granger willingly requests for a name change to Hermione _Malfoy_ because she wants to love herself?!"

"Granger, if you keep speaking to yourself in third person then we may just have to select psycho—."

"Don't you dare insult me," Hermione cut him off while whipping out her wand. If anyone ever asked, Draco Malfoy would never admit to being slightly frightened at the woman's quick movements before he realized that she had produced her wand to complete the name change request form based upon his suggestion.

She magically levitated the folder of documents and guided it to the door before a charm that was in place took over. This charm automatically allowed for ready letters or files to be delivered to the recipient departments in a speedy fashion.

The two sat quietly, not an uncommon occurrence for them both, for several minutes before the blond-haired man finally broke the silence.

"We're moving in together," Draco said nearly inaudibly yet incredibly as-of-matter-of-factly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Yeah," Hermione agreed to Draco's seemingly self-damning statement.

"Where shall we live then?"

"Well, for obvious reasons we will not be staying in your family manor... I hope you can understand that..."

Draco noticed the way her voice transitioned into one of quiet reflection. He glanced up at her.

He could see the negative memories dance across her furrowed brow. She was lucky. The manor was a place that he did not even prefer for himself.

"I agree, Granger," Draco stated with one simple nod.

Hermione's features relaxed and she smiled a small smile.

It was always strange the way he could easily bring her out of her bad memories with something so simple as a nod to make sure that she was fine.

Early on, she would almost go into fits over the state of some of the muggleborn orphans they were sent to collect. Of course many were orphaned due to the war. He was always there, luckily enough; with that nod of his.

"If we must live at your flat, we are definitely going to have to expand it," Draco said clearing his throat. He would also make other changes but she would find this out in due time.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Hermione figured that she may as well be cordial and somewhat accommodating especially since he didn't require that they move into an entirely new house.

"I'm putting in a request to take the next few weeks off for vacation. Things should die down by then anyhow. Have you received any more calls for children?"

"No, Hogwarts semester starts in one week. We would've been notified by now."

He nodded.

Tedious paperwork was the prescribed doctrine when they had no assignments. And frankly, Draco Malfoy could stand to leave the neat confines of his office and workload for a while.

Especially if he had to get used to _living _under the same roof as his partner.

* * *

><p>Two days later Draco found himself in the presence of another Gryffindor. He had been sitting in the man's office for fifteen minutes now. It was agonizingly boring for the black haired man to just sit there across from him and not utter a single word after Draco's question.<p>

"Potter, are you going to help me or not?"

Harry Potter, the bespeckled hero continued to look over his frames with an intensifying glare toward his former childhood nemesis.

He couldn't decide whether the man was joking or serious, which was a pretty common inconvenience for anyone who ever had the misfortune of having a conversation with Draco Malfoy.

"You're barking mad."

"I suppose it would make more sense if I were," the blond man countered in that quiet, bored voice of his. He lazily drummed his fingertips on top of Potter's desk before stopping himself. He inwardly grimaced at the habit that he had no doubt developed from years of council with Blaise.

"She will destroy us," the scarred man stated.

"Duly noted. But it must be done. It will save us all the more trouble that will come later. I know that you agree with me."

Harry Potter pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly before he summoned his office owl to the perch on his desk.

"When are you moving in?" questioned Harry as he scribbled words down on a sheet of parchment. He paused his writing to look up at Draco who now stared toward the open window.

That man often reminded him of Luna Lovegood and that fact in itself was quite strange. The blond-haired man would occasionally be caught in his own thoughts and his quiet demeanor was no help. Draco Malfoy had definitely changed since the war.

"Granger said that today would be ideal," answered Draco.

Harry continued his writing before stopping to blow dry the inky words. He leaned back in his chair as he poured a bit of red wax to seal the now folded letter that he had been scribing. He waited two seconds before stamping the wax.

"Good. She'll have your head first, then," spoke the messy-haired man.

Draco nodded his thanks before walking out of the famous auror's office and into the long corridor that opened into the atrium. He had intended on going straight to Granger's. His few important items had already been packed as he didn't value much.

Kingsley Shacklebolt had granted his leave so he had ventured to the Ministry to speak with Potter after a sudden realization he had come to at two in the morning. As luck would have it, Potter agreed in the end.

They wouldn't be living together for long, he hoped.

He expected Granger to fly off her rocker at what he was conspiring but he had no choice. It had been two days since she had legally been granted his surname. This was necessary.

Although it was a ruse, he couldn't help but smirk. Who would have guessed?

"She's going to punch you for this."

Was someone talking? Draco stopped his pondering and looked around for the voice.

It was his...daughter. She was sitting outside of Granger's office with her elbows resting on her knees and her hands beneath her chin. He had almost walked straight past the office.

"Excuse me?"

"I've seen it. She's going to punch you for what you've done." And he could almost swear that the shadow of a smirk could be seen in Eliza's features while her green eyes sparkled with mirth. There was a certain familiarity about that look on her face.

Damn it all.

I seriously apologize for all the lateness! I've had this chapter and the next (I'm posting both) written for months but I've just been too incredibly busy to post so please enjoy and leave me feed back. If you're following SoK, I'll be updating that one as well. 3


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I'm not going to tell her. I kind of understand where you're coming from but when she finds out...there'll be hell to pay."

Bollocks. He glanced down at his watch. It was barely noon-thirty.

"When is she done in there?"

Eliza just smiled and looked to her left because at that very moment Granger stepped out of the office, cloak slung over her arm and keys in her hand and he almost lost his wits. She wasn't wearing her usual robes. Instead she donned a simple sundress that was the color of sunshine.

He looked away from her under the guise that something down the hall had distracted him before clearing his throat.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as she locked her office door the muggle way.

"I'm supposed to move in today, correct?" He questioned looking up into her eyes and nowhere else for fear that his attraction would be evident.

"Oh, bugger. I forgot."

"How do you forget something as life-changing as someone moving in with you?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it life-changing."

"Of course you wouldn't. What could you have possibly found to replace our original plan?" Draco questioned before he could stop himself. He was curious about this little yellow dress of hers.

The older witch smiled brightly before answering, "Yesterday, Eliza and I visited Ollivander's so she was able to get her wand. Luna invited us over for dinner."

Since their time in the Malfoy dungeons Luna Lovegood and Ollivander had remained great friends.

The old man was akin to an uncle for the often-dazed blonde girl. They were so close that Ollivander had granted Luna as his heir. This was a big deal when one considered how long the Ollivanders had been in the wand-making business and had created quite the stir in the papers.

Luna had almost instantly learned how to craft the magical devices as soon as she stepped foot into Mr. Ollivander's newly reconstructed shop. Even Draco was impressed by the girl's wit.

"So you are going to Longbottom's?"

His former schoolmate nodded before her face transformed into a more recognizably-Granger-face.

"Oh! Why don't I give you my key? You know where my flat is...well our flat...just go ahead and make yourself at home!"

Draco stared at the bronze colored skeleton key that was now flush against his hand. Key?

Right. Her flat must have been warded to only open with the proper key because it was just too simple by magical standards to enter otherwise.

Draco was slightly disappointed that the witch wasn't joining him but alas, this gave him time to change things around the flat to make the "home" more suitable for his likings.

He slid the key into his pocket and bid them a goodbye. Granger assured him that they'd be home before nine.

She _did_ say for him to make himself at home. He walked towards the apparition point.

* * *

><p>He'd never been inside of Granger's home although for assignments he sometimes met her outside of the joke shop.<p>

He looked around her quaint living room and decided that he'd leave the comfortable-enough-looking room as it was. It was...homie and he guessed that he could stand that for a while.

As for the rest of the flat a bit of flair was needed.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to destroy you!"<p>

Draco Malfoy's eyes shot open in alarm. As per instinct, his hand found his wand. He had fallen asleep on Granger's surprisingly comfortable sofa after moving all of his belongings in and he lay on his side.

It was dark, he realized. His eyes shifted around the room to adjust as he sought out the voice that caused him to wake.

The voice was distant, approximately twenty feet away. He sat up slowly and looked around to see light fanning out of two of the bedrooms and flooding the long narrow hallway.

"I rather like it," came Eliza's voice.

"Oh it's all very charming isn't it," was Granger's snappy response.

Draco smirked and relaxed his posture. She must have discovered the changes he'd made to his new home.

He stood up and made his way to the hallway finding the ladies in Granger's room, their backs to him.

Hermione was bending over in that yellow sundress of hers and inspecting a nice bedside table that he had purchased for her room.

He'd be a fool and not very much of a man if he had looked any place but her nicely-shaped bum.

"Hermione...it's mahogany," he could hear Eliza say in a very tell-tale voice.

"Oh, Merlin, you're right! What the hell did he do with all of my cedar furniture, then?" Granger exclaimed standing straight up much to Draco's dismay. She placed her hands on her hips unintentionally accentuating her bottom.

The Slytherin tugged at his t-shirt collar, having earlier discarded his robes and dress shirt.

He decided then to speak for he needed a very necessary distraction.

"I felt it best that they be placed in the unfurnished guest room."

Both girls jumped in alarm.

Hermione's face reddened at the sight of the pale man as he leaned against her door jam.

"You... What do you mean guest room? That was to be your room."

"Granger, this sham of a marriage scheme won't do well if we don't share a bedroom."

He didn't expect to share a room with her. He was merely teasing.

"Eliza, please go to your room," Hermione bit out through clenched teeth.

Goodness, he loved inciting her. Eliza walked past him and made a motion with her hand to indicate that he was done for. He didn't care.

"Sounded just like a mum there, Granger," Draco said, unable to stop himself. They hadn't had a row in ages.

The witch didn't respond to him until they heard the click of Eliza' bedroom door.

"You will sleep in the guest room. Enjoy the cedar furniture. It's over four generations old. Decent, sturdy-."

"Are you a furniture sales-witch now?" he interrupted. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to avoid the situation and an argument.

Merlin, this was fun. He had missed this.

"We aren't sharing a room. Not ever," Hermione huffed walking past him and toward the kitchen.

"Relax. I was only joking around. I fully intended on sleeping in the guest quarters..err…room. I just felt that cedar fit my tastes a bit better. I _am_ staying in a more…rustic location now."

Draco followed the woman, careful to keep his eyes focused on her hair and not her backside.

Hermione scoffed loudly, stopping in the living room. With a swipe of her hands, the lights came on. She placed her hands on her hips and inspected the room to make sure that nothing had been changed before walking into the kitchen.

"If you remember correctly, Granger, you _did_ tell me to make myself at home," Draco spoke softly, an underlying snicker in his tone.

He sat down at her small in-kitchen table while she scrutinizingly looked over everything in the room before turning to him with her brows deeply furrowed. Ah, a look that he was fondly familiar with.

"Why is the coffee pot full?"

"I needed the energy for the furniture rearrangement," Draco shrugged, his normal air of nonchalance radiating off him in waves.

"You needed energy for wand-waving?" questioned the witch, her eyebrow quirked in amusement.

"No. I didn't use magic. Well, I did but only to shrink and transport the new furniture here. The arranging was all done by yours truly."

Hermione allowed her eyes to sweep over the lithe man's strong figure realizing that this was the first time she'd seen him in anything other than robes or a dress shirt and tie. He donned pajama bottoms and a plain white v-neck t-shirt.

Scoffing quietly, she reached up into a cabinet and brought down two coffee mugs. She didn't usually drink the foul liquid, preferring tea in its stead; she needed a good kick of caffeine.

Pouring the dark liquid in the mugs, she was well-aware of Draco watching her in the midst of their silence.

"I am sorry if moving the furniture has…bothered you. I did feel that you would be somewhat appreciative."

"Are you aware that you've made exactly four-hundred ninety-two unapologetic apologies to me since we've been working together?"

"I'm not one to count such things Granger. What a ridiculous thing to do…"

Hermione scoffed again, this time louder.

"I _can_ say that you've countlessly made unladylike sounds like that," the blond man drawled.

Hermione cut her eyes over at him. She wouldn't respond angrily knowing that it was his goal to rile her up even more.

"I'm going to my room. You enjoy your new furniture. It's served me well over the years. She set a mug down in front of him without slamming it before quickly walking to her bedroom.

Draco looked down into the mug of coffee seeking his own reflection but he was surprised to find that the beverage was caramel colored.

He took a tentative sip of the brown liquid.

So. She knew that he favored his coffee sweet. There was a little stir in his heart over that realization.

Slowly but surely guys. Slowly but surely. :)


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